Two men charged after Banksy artwork Girl With Balloon stolen from gallery
13 September 2024, 08:22
Two men have been charged with burglary after a famous work of art by Banksy was stolen from a gallery.
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The painting, which is one of the anonymous street artist's most famous designs, was taken from the New Cavendish gallery in London on Sunday night.
The Met's serious robberies team, the Flying Squad, took on the case and tracked down two men in the eastern outskirts of London who police believe to be the culprits.
Larry Fraser, 47, from Beckton and James Love, a 53-year-old from north Stifford, an Essex village just outside the M25, were charged on Wednesday with non-residential burglary and remanded in custody.
Both appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Thursday, where they were bailed to next appear at Kingston Crown Court on October 9.
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The painting has now been recovered and will be given back to the gallery.
Girl with Balloon was a series of paintings done by Banksy in 2002, with the original painted onto Waterloo Bridge. It has since been reprinted and reproduced many times.
Banksy himself had a print of the artwork partially shredded during a live auction in 2018. The new artwork was entitled 'Love is in the Bin'.
Banksy had an unusual burst of activity this summer, laying claim to nine separate works of art on nine straight days - each depicting animals.
The fourth in the series - a howling wolf painted onto a satellite dish in Peckham, south-east London, was stolen within a few hours.
Other pictures included mischievous depictions of a goat, elephants, monkeys and pelicans.
